Giant Eruption

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Wealthy socialite Albany Britton boarded her plane, heels clacking in a dainty huff. After having to suffer through first class on a commercial airline from LAX to New Guinea, Albany could now take a more private charter flight to her final destination, a little uninhabited island in northwest Oceania. On such short notice even Albany's father's influence could only help her airfare so much. Dad made his money as a high profile Hollywood lawyer, and after his four divorces Albany was the sole heiress to his fortune. Already the tropical humidity in the South Pacific airport made Albany nostalgic for her Beverly Hills home. But the pampered rich girl needed answers.

"Lazy contractors", she muttered indignantly clicking her seatbelt and taking champagne from the stewardess.

For Albany's twenty-second birthday her wealthy dad purchased land on an American-owned island southwest of Hawaii. Weeks before the groundbreaking began on Albany's own personal summerhouse on this isle. She had looked over the 3D blueprints and designs and talked to the construction company herself and couldn't wait for the house to be ready for a vacation and endless partying next June. However, neither Albany nor her father had heard any updates from the construction crew or contractor on the island for days. Last they'd heard the workmen were about to dig the foundation for the in-ground pool. There were some concerns that they would be digging and blowing near a volcano but geological surveys showed the volcano was inactive, so if there were no trouble the lack of communication made little sense. Since dad was busy defending a producer with a tax audit, Albany had no choice but to fly out to the site herself and see what was up with the ghosting.

"Yes dad I just got on the last private jet", Albany assured her dad on the phone hours later as she looked out at the tropical runway. "I'll be fine, Curtis has been flying me around since I was ten." She winked at the familiar handsome thirtysomething pilot as he entered the cockpit. "I'm always safe with Curtis."

       After takeoff Albany hung up with her dad and thanked Curtis for flying the jet out here on short notice. "No problem" the pilot punctuated. "Between you and me I could use a break from your kid sister's rowdy pals." Prior to meeting Albany, Curtis had been in Australia, flying Albany's younger sister and her college friends around on a spring break vacation. "They were clubbing in Melbourne last night so they'll be hungover until at least early afternoon." Checking the radar or whatever, Curtis announced he was beginning the descent onto the remote island.

         After touching down on a wide strip of beach by the recently built dock, Curtis disembarked the jet to accompany Albany. After all, the heiress was nearly always escorted by a bodyguard or chauffeur. Wearing designer stilettos heels on a rocky beach was a fair indication that Albany didn't have the best sense of her surroundings anyway. "The construction site is just past the grove of trees," announced Curtis following GPS.

What the mollycoddled socialite and the underpaid pilot saw on the other side of that grove was baffling. Beyond the sun baked tree line, the beautiful valley Albany chose to build in unraveled. Currently, the lush Pacific island landscape was made an eyesore by bulldozers, a cement mixer and other work trucks. A half finished house foundation was carved into the ground, with planks, bricks and suchlike stacked and prepared for construction nearby. All this but no workmen in sight. In fact, judging by the seagulls looting vittles from abandoned lunchboxes, the crew had departed rather abruptly.

"Where are all the construction workers?" asked Albany aloud as if expecting her pilot to somehow be privy to their whereabouts.

       "Couldn't tell you," said Curtis, shrugging in equal perplexity looking at the abandoned worksite. Clearly there had been nobody hear in days, from the accumulated puddles of rainwater and the humidity swollen wood. "Think I see a work trailer on the other side of the foundation by that hill."

      Following Curtis uphill Albany realized "I think that's the mountain that used to be a volcano. Those bums were supposed to dig my pool right at the base." She traipsed the exotic landscape wobbly in her shoes.

A hole gaped in the side of the mountain, blown by explosives. So they had broken ground on the pool. While Albany gripes about where the workmen further, Curtis took a closer look at the blast zone. Under the unearthed surface of the hillside was a layer of glassy black volcanic rock. Curtis was mesmerized by the geology, likely buried for many years. Then Curtis noticed something odd and squinted. A hundred foot tall indent in the volcanic rock seemed to have the outline of a person. A man who would have to be 120 feet in stature. The young pilot barely had time to fathom the oddness of the giant humanoid imprint when a shadow loomed over him.

Back in the valley closer to the house foundation, Albany had wandered away from Curtis. Partly she wondered if the contractors were hanging out drinking beer in her unfinished basement. When she found a yellow hard hat she thought she was correct. In fact there were several hardhats and a few work vests strewn about. One hard hat had a large dent in it and some of the garments seemed to be strewn with blood. "What happened here?" Albany barely had time to wonder aloud when her very high heels failed her. With a scream she fell facedown, into what even she could realize was a giant footprint with five toes.

      First after catching her fall on the slope, Albany shouted "What nutcase would walk around barefoot in this buggy wilderness?" Only after did she realize she should not be able to use the imprint of a person's big toe as a park bench. Before her brain could fully process that she heard a masculine yell of fear from by the volcano blast sight. The scream was silenced by what sounded like the swallow of a cavernous throat, echoed further through the island valley. "Curtis?" Albany looked out of the footprint ditch. And she screamed.

        Only Curtis's kicking feet were still protruding from the giant man's lips. The huge bare chested man who was the size of a skyscraper pushed the soles of the pilot's feet into the mouth with his tongue. The giant who had been released from so many years frozen in volcanic ash swallowed. He also heard the ladylike scream from somewhere in the valley. The nameless giant ran to find the female as the male squirmed through his esophagus. His pilot uniform with all the buttons and thick fabric added some roughage.

        Groaning in disgust, Curtis landed with a plop in the rancid time capsule of a stomach. It was dank, humid and dark. Trying to take stock of his surroundings proved difficult until he remembered his lighter. The small light illuminated the innards of the stomach. "Maybe I'll get lucky and the light will give him heartburn", he muttered. Bones of unknown origin floated in the gastric juices. A few hard hats and vests remained from the previously devoured construction workers who released him.

      By far the weirdest spectacle Curtis found while aiming his light to the opposite side of the stomach. A pair of old timey aviation goggles hung on the slimy stomach wall, pinned by a pin shaped like wings. All this stood under actual words, carved in scar tissue inside the stomach. The little flame lit up the scabbed words AMELIA EARHART WAS HERE, EATEN 11/2/1937.

       Curtis's eyes widened. "Guess I'm not the first pilot this giant ever ate."

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